


tend towards a comfortable ennui

by millimallow



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness & Explorers of Sky
Genre: M/M, Spoilers for PMD EOT/D/S
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 08:10:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17260688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/millimallow/pseuds/millimallow
Summary: It can take a while to get used to peace. Chatot seeks advice from the person he knows to be the most open with their feelings and receives some unexpected knowledge.





	tend towards a comfortable ennui

**Author's Note:**

> find me and support my work at millimallow.tumblr.com! thank you for reading and thank you to my girlfriend as well. love this fandom, keep on trucking!

He knows that things are going to go back to normal soon enough, but he can’t quite accept it. For all the time he’s spent in the world as it was “normally”- his days of youth, punctuated only by the meteor nearly falling in a land nearby- the gradual decay of time, in some ways, is responsible for his entire career. Chatot knows there are going to be more disasters, more outlaws, more mystery dungeons. He will not be so urged towards action, he will settle into a routine. Like a tiny pendulum, he will tend towards ennui until something awakens him again.

He thinks that’s maybe not such a bad thing. He was upstaged so constantly during the whole of the Dialga and Darkrai debacles that he’s no longer so confident about his performance under pressure. He should be happy; the world is at peace, is what he tells himself, but he can’t shake the feeling that there’s an emptiness now. He’s sitting in the guildmaster’s office on a warm Autumn afternoon when he says something about it for the first time.

“Guildmaster,” Chatot chirps, shuffling his paperwork still, “how are you feeling about the way things are nowadays?”

“I feel just happy about them! It’s great that our friendly-friends can live in peace from now on and we don’t have to worry about the paralysis of time. And Team Charm might be coming back to see how we are!”

“Really? Oh.”

Wigglytuff turns around upon noticing Chatot’s disappointment, startling him. “Is there something the matter, Chatot?”

“Not really, no-! It was just chaos last time Team Charm were here. They very much impress me, but I can’t shake the feeling it might be too much excitement!” Chatot replies, and immediately regret. _Wasn’t I melancholy about the lack of excitement in the first place? Oh well. None of this makes sense anyway_.

“It won’t have to be a big deal. We’ll keep it a secret between us and friends! And it’s not for sure, so cheer up! I’ll even handle it myself if it’s a big deal for you.”

“Thank you, Guildmaster.” Chatot’s a little flustered now. He knows it about himself that his feathers get ruffled when the Guildmaster shows his hidden-yet-characteristic helpfulness. It saved his life once, of course. “You’re very privileged to have adventured with these fine women before. It might be rude of me to ask, but did you leave over some kind of romantic spat?” He chuckles after he says it to try and hide the awkwardness.

“No.”

“Oh. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“Team Charm are just friendly-friends to me! Always have been. I left because I wanted to try exploring on my own!”

“Even though they’re so great and accomplished? You gave up a lot to come here and do this with me, then…” Chatot lifts his wing up to his face to nervously preen his feathers, not noticing Wigglytuff getting closer until his voice sounds all too near.

“It’s not about that, my dear Chatot. I saw how fun adventuring could be and wanted to teach it to other people! You’re the perfect person to have by my side here. My invaluable partner.” Chatot’s wing comes down and he wraps it around his chest.

“Your words mean a lot to me.”

“Yay! Also, it wouldn’t have worked between me and Team Charm anyway, because I don’t like girls.”

“…What?”

“Well, isn’t that all you need to know?” Silence fills the room for a solid few seconds.

“…I suppose it is. Does that mean you like men instead?” Wigglytuff nods.

“I like adventures more than anything! But I guess that’s also true. I didn’t think it was very important, though, so I haven’t told you before.”

“Well, Guildmaster, I’m happy that you’re able to be honest with me about that, especially after I overstepped with my question about Team Charm.”

“It’s no problem for my invaluable partner!” Suddenly, Wigglytuff’s hand is on Chatot’s head, patting down a few feathers. “You keep a lot of secrets too, though.”

“I don’t have much to say about myself. My life is about you and the guild.”

“You haven’t ever liiiiiked anyone?” Wigglytuff’s voice takes on a teasing tone and Chatot gets flustered further. He wonders if it’s possible for someone to just combust from embarrassment- if he wanted excitement, he has it now, for better or worse.

“When I was a boy, maybe. I consider you also my invaluable partner now. Otherwise I don’t really- think about it- you know that it’d just distract me-“

“And you don’t get lonely without friendly-friends?”

“I have you.” Wigglytuff stops for a few seconds, hand to his mouth, pondering the subject rapidly. His eyes light up with a mischief that Chatot is instinctively wary of.

“Well, can I kiss you?”

“W-what?”

“You know…You said you don’t spend much time with other people, just me and the guild. So it might be fun!” Wigglytuff explains as Chatot stands, face stricken blank as a million thoughts run through his mind. Is this okay? Am I being tricked somehow? Moreover, am I dreaming? But it’s so like the Guildmaster to approach the subject so brashly… “But you don’t have to let me if you don’t want to!”

“No, um, I- I’m not sure what I want, ah- it’s quite fast- but. I guess it’s okay, so long as you’re quick about it.” Though the blush can’t peek through his black topfeathers, Chatot’s sure his cheeks have never been so thoroughly warmed. Wigglytuff leans in for what seems like only a second and lays a single kiss on Chatot’s beak, as soft and warm as he is. Chatot isn’t sure he can entirely process it- he just stands there, blinking until Wigglytuff leans back.

“Was that okay?”

“I f-found it v-very nice actually.” Beneath the feathers and flesh of Chatot’s skin, his heart is pounding. “Thank you.”

“Well, I thought it was good too! Anything for my invaluable partner.”

They don’t speak about it for the rest of the day, but that night Chatot lies in bed awake with his heart still moving, the space in his psyche filling itself with long-lost feelings.


End file.
